Wastewater Treatment in Electroplating Using ZLD
Reducing Disposal Costs with Evaporation Technology
An internationally operating electroplating company in Germany optimized its industrial wastewater treatment to efficiently handle increasing production volumes while reducing disposal costs. The solution combined an atmospheric evaporator from the ET series with an additional concentration stage using the ET MaXx ZLD system to maximize water recovery.
As part of a production expansion, the volume of electroplating wastewater increased significantly. Although an evaporator was already in use, further reduction of the concentrate volume and a more consistent water reuse strategy became the focus. The goal was to expand the existing system without increasing personnel requirements or significantly raising energy consumption.
The main objective was economical and sustainable wastewater treatment.
The solution is based on a multi-stage process: After pre-treatment and filtration, the wastewater is fed into the ET 250 evaporator, where it is thermally separated into distillate and concentrate. The recovered distillate can be directly reused in the production process. The remaining concentrate is then further concentrated in the ET MaXx ZLD system, significantly reducing the residual volume and increasing overall system efficiency. This approach follows the principle of Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD), where water is almost completely recycled within the process.
Technical Solution
The electroplating wastewater is first pre-treated and then transferred via a filtration stage and buffer tanks to the ET 250 evaporator.
In the evaporator:
- thermal separation into distillate and concentrate takes place
The generated concentrate is no longer disposed of, but instead further concentrated in the ET MaXx ZLD system.
Result
- maximum reduction of residual volume
- additional recovery of water
Process Data
- Concentration ratio ET 250: approx. 15:1
- Additional concentration ET MaXx: approx. 5:1
The combination of evaporation technology and ZLD post-concentration demonstrates how companies in electroplating and surface treatment can make their processes more economical and sustainable. In addition to reducing disposal costs, users benefit from improved resource efficiency and stable process performance.
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